- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1964–1979
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 96.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
GOAT Rank · 13
Greatest American Football Safetys of all time
This ranking is led by Paul Krause, Brian Dawkins and Ken Houston. GOAT Rank currently ranks 13 eligible American Football safetys using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Quick answer
According to GOAT Rank's current model, Paul Krause ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 90.0.
How the GOAT Score is calculated →#AthleteGOAT Score
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1996–2011
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1967–1980
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 2003–2014
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1981–1994
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1993–2007
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1960–1971
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1990–2001
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 2002–2013
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1952–1959
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1970–1979
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1989–1999
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1981–1987
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 62.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Paul Krause | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1964–1979 | 90.0 |
| 44 | Brian Dawkins | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1996–2011 | 88.9 |
| 140 | Ken Houston | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1967–1980 | 86.8 |
| 146 | Troy Polamalu | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2003–2014 | 86.7 |
| 192 | Ronnie Lott | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1981–1994 | 85.9 |
| 205 | John Lynch | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1993–2007 | 85.6 |
| 207 | Johnny Robinson | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1960–1971 | 85.6 |
| 232 | LeRoy Butler | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1990–2001 | 85.2 |
| 253 | Ed Reed | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2002–2013 | 84.5 |
| 274 | Bobby Dillon | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1952–1959 | 83.9 |
| 282 | Cliff Harris | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1970–1979 | 83.7 |
| 292 | Steve Atwater | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1989–1999 | 83.2 |
| 320 | Kenny Easley | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1981–1987 | 81.8 |
Compare the leaders
Paul Krause vs Brian DawkinsRead the full methodology
Sport lists use the raw In-Sport GOAT Score. Cross-sport lists use the official competition-depth adjustment. No scores are recalculated for this page.
Read the full methodologyFrequently asked questions
How is this ranking calculated?
Five verified components are weighted consistently: dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Who is included?
According to GOAT Rank's current data model, only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible. Rank and score are read live.
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